Makkah News and Updates

26 January 2014

MAKKAH — Many women mutawwifs, or Haj service providers, have complained that they are being marginalized and are not officially recognized as mutawwifs, Makkah daily reported.

Statistics show that there are around 6,000 women mutawwifs, accounting for 50 percent of all mutawwifs. Faten Husain, a mutawwif for south Asian pilgrims, said it was due time that women mutawwifs are officially recognized and granted full rights to practice the profession. She also asked that the Ministry of Haj hold training sessions for women mutawwifs, similar to the type held for male mutawwifs.

Iman Maghrabi, the former head of the Women’s Committee at the Iranian Mutawwifs Establishment, said women mutawwifs should be given the opportunity and the required authority to provide the best possible services to pilgrims. She pointed out that communication between women mutawwifs is poor and called for an annual meeting of women mutawwifs to exchange experiences and information.

“Women mutawwifs lack the appropriate locations and field offices in the Holy sites, which are usually assigned to male Mutawwifs only,” she said.

The head of public relations with the female voluntary committee for south Asian pilgrims, Uhood Saati, said their main role is to educate female pilgrims on Haj rituals and duties and provide them with the necessary support while they are in the Kingdom.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140126193736

27 January 2014

The renowned Riyadh-based Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University has constituted an exclusive study group (chair) in its institution under the aegis of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs to explore and conduct research on affairs pertaining to the Grand Mosque in Makkah and Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

The Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah directed university to establish this study group, known as kursi in Arabic, a statement issued by the Presidency of the Grand Mosque and Prophet Mosque said on Sunday.

The study group will carry out studies on all aspects including service to pilgrims, expansion projects and historical importance.

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, president of the Presidency of Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque Affairs extended his thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for establishing the study group.

In a related development, the Institute of Haram Al-Sharif in Makkah and Center for Scientific Research and General Library in the Grand Mosque in Makkah have decided to enhance mutual cooperation to enhance scientific research among the students in Haram affairs.

Dr. Fahad bin Jubair Sufiani, Sheikh Salman Al-Moqoshi and others from these two organizations were present at the coordination meeting, a statement from the presidency said.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/516091

27 January 2014

More than 18 judicial rulings including financial compensation and administrative decisions were issued against the Ministry of Haj in the past nine years.

Revealing this, an official source said these rulings were issued by the administrative courts in the holy capital and Jeddah governorate. The most important of these rulings is the one issued by the administrative court in the holy capital, setting aside the ministry’s decision to dissolve the board of directors for Motwafi South East Asia Pilgrims, which was issued at the end of the last Haj season.

Sources said the board of Motwafi South East Asia Pilgrims couldn’t conduct their business because of the contents of the legislative ruling. The board was dissolved by Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar in public interest. Share-holders and Motwaffen then filed a lawsuit seeking cancelation of the decision.

A few years ago, Saudi company Labayk which was involved in marketing electronic services during the Umrah season, filed a lawsuit against the ministry in Jeddah administrative court seeking compensation for damages for the period when their practice was halted. They demanded the restoration of their license after it had been canceled by the Ministry of Haj.

The ninth administrative department in the court issued a judicial ruling against the Ministry of Haj forcing them to allow the company to conduct its business as per the ministry’s license. The ruling was not implemented, forcing the company to file another lawsuit against the ministry.

The administrative court in Jeddah issued a preliminary ruling asking the Ministry of Haj to pay SR105 million to the company as compensation for stopping its services.

The ruling came after another company filed a lawsuit demanding compensation of SR705 million for losses that it incurred during the period because of cancelation of its license.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/516086

28 January 2014

JEDDAH — Around 953,000 Umrah performers have arrived so far in the Kingdom while 516,000 have left since the beginning of the Umrah season in December 2013, according to Ministry of Haj statistics.

The number of Umrah visas issued for this season has reached 1.7 million, the report said.

These figures reflect the success the ministry’s operational plan has achieved in reducing the number of visa overstayers compared to previous years thanks to the new Umrah electronic system that tracks the movement of all visitors entering and leaving the Kingdom.

In a statement, Haj Minister Bandar Hajar said the system links the ministry with the ministries of interior and foreign affairs as well as 48 local licensed Umrah companies and 2,000 agents all over the world.

Before the system came into existence, the process of issuing visas used to take over two weeks while the services offered to Umrah performers used to be of medium quality.

However, the visa issuance process takes a few minutes now the system has been enforced.

If the record of a company shows that it has 500 overstayers who have not left the country, it will be suspended and remain out of operation until it rectifies the problem.

Each company has to submit its operational plan showing the numbers of Umrah performers it is intending to bring over and their nationalities. The plan should cover the entire period of the Umrah season and ensure that all visitors have access to accommodation, transportation and catering services.

Hajar said the ministry monitors the performance of all companies that provide services to Umrah performers. It also imposes stricter penalties and fines on violators of its regulations.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140128193938 28 January 2014

The Ministry of Haj came down heavily on erring Umrah companies warning that it will ban an Umrah company even if one percent of its pilgrims fail to return to their home countries.

“A company with 500 overstayers, or just one percent of it, will face the same penalty,” the ministry said.

In a statement on Monday, Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar said that the ministry’s electronic system would immediately block visas to a company that fails to meet the criteria.

Hajjar said that 953,000 Umrah pilgrims have so far arrived in the Kingdom, while 516,000 have returned to their countries. He said the Haj Ministry has issued 1.7 million visas this season.

Hajjar said the ministry’s new electronic system has successfully reduced red tape for Umrah pilgrims across the world. He said that 2,000 travel and service operators in various parts of the world are using the system, and 48 inside the Kingdom. The system links the Ministries of Haj, Interior and Foreign Affairs.

According to the minister, the system reduces visa delays and improves services to foreign pilgrims during their stay in the Kingdom. He said 10 field committees are working around the clock in Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah to check services offered to Umrah pilgrims.

The ministry has made special arrangements at all sea, air and land entry points to help Umrah pilgrims, he said.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/516511

January 28, 2014

Muscat: A number of Omanis travelling on a bus to perform Umrah are feared dead in Riyadh after their bus met with an accident.

According to the sources, the accident took place in the early hours of Tuesday.

"An accident has happened but we are not sure about the number of causalities. The details emerged so far show that the accident is a big one," an official at Royal Oman Police told Times of Oman.

Meanwhile, the police also added that rumours spreading in social networking sites are not confirmed.

However, pictures circulating on Whatsapp show that the bus has a capacity of carrying 15 passengers. There are unconfirmed reports that the passengers are from the wilayat of Rustaq.

More details are awaited.

http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-28931.aspx 29 January 2014

Four Omanis — three women and a man — were killed and eight others injured in a road accident on Tuesday morning in Al-Quwaiya Governorate, 160 km west of Riyadh.

The accident occurred when the Toyota minibus carrying a family of 11 members and an Ethiopian housemaid collided with two trucks in Al-Ruwaida area, Omani Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmed Al-Busaidi said, adding that the family was on its way to Makkah to perform Umrah.

“Three women and a man were killed in the crash,” Al-Busaidi told the Omani national TV in a telephonic interview.

The eight injured are seven Omanis and the Ethiopian housemaid, he added. The injured were taken to Al-Quwaiya Hospital, and the bodies will be flown to Oman on Wednesday from Riyadh, the diplomat said.

The condition of most of the injured is stable and some have even been discharged.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/517206

29 January 2014

Makkah’s development projects will cost an estimated SR300 billion over the coming years, with a third of this money allocated for public transportation and the King Abdullah project for the upgrading of the city.

Osama Al-Bar, Makkah’s mayor, revealed this estimate recently and said that the government would also build 260 new residential districts in the city over the next 20 years.

Al-Bar said the city is currently working on completing projects costing SR6 billion including the fourth circular road, underpasses and overpasses, pavements, a lighting system, gardens, sports centers and other services for citizens and visitors.

He admitted that there have been delays but the city was currently working on ways to resolve this issue.

He said the municipality recently launched a crackdown on land thieves and recovered 17 million sqm of government property in the Al-Ja’ranah area.

He said the municipality, under the guidance of Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah, has taken back large pieces of land from encroachers on the outskirts of the city.

He said the municipality has already allocated some of this land for public utilities including a hospital east of the city, a psychiatric hospital, a technology college, a tourism college and other service facilities.

He said the law previously did not criminalize encroachments, but under Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the former Makkah governor and now education minister, an initiative was launched to arrest all trespassers on government-owned land.

On the environmental front, Al-Bar said a project to recycle waste is still under study. In addition, the municipality and the city’s development commission have ordered all contractors to build “green” taking into account energy and other environmental issues.

He said the city would integrate the metro and bus service into the transport system soon. “We expect to award the contracts in the first quarter of 2014. The rapid bus service will operate in 2016, while the first line of the metro system will be completed in late 2017.”

http://www.arabnews.com/news/517146

29 January 2014

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) on Tuesday announced that it would operate its first flight to Los Angeles on March 31 as part of its efforts to expand its international operations and meet requirements of passengers including Saudis studying in American universities and institutes.

“We have made all preparations to start our operations to Los Angeles, Saudia’s third destination in the US after Washington DC and New York,” said Abdul Mohsen Junaid, executive vice president for commercial affairs.
He said the new flight was aimed at strengthening the airline’s competitive position and serve various groups of passengers including Saudi students, Haj and Umrah pilgrims and business executives. “It will also boost trade exchange between the two countries.”

He said Saudia would operate three flights weekly to Los Angeles on Saturdays, Thursdays and Mondays. The flight between Riyadh and Los Angeles will take 16-and-half hours. The outgoing flight 041 will take off from Riyadh at 00:35 and pass by Jeddah (03:50) before arriving in Los Angeles. The return flight 042 will take off from the US city at 3:00 p.m., pass by Jeddah before arriving in Riyadh.

Junaid said Saudia would operate Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for the new flight. The aircraft has 24 seats in the First Class, 36 in Business Class and 245 in the Economy Class.

Saudia intends to resume flights to Manchester with a direct route to Jeddah on April 1. Flights will commence three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The Saudi flag carrier last operated from Manchester Airport in 2007 and the new Jeddah route is expected to attract a range of leisure and business passengers.

Rashid Alajmi, general manager of passenger sales and services for the European region at Saudia, said: “We are very happy that our plans to return to Manchester have now come to fruition, and that we are now able to offer northwest customers a non-stop service to Saudi Arabia.”

“Commercial ties between the north of England and Saudi Arabia have traditionally been very strong and this new service will give business customers in the region the opportunity to travel to Saudi Arabia without having to transfer en-route,” he said.

The service will also benefit the region’s large Muslim population, especially when traveling to perform the religious pilgrimages of Haj and Umrah. “The flight is timed in such a way that passengers can reach the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah at the most convenient time, Alajmi added.

Saudia also announced that it would allow 10-liter Zamzam water bottles for Haj and Umrah passengers and visitors free of charge at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah. A passenger will be allowed to carry one Zamzam bottle produced at King Abdullah Zamzam Water Project and it will be accepted along with the baggage.

Saudia will also accept Zamzam water bottles at other domestic airports from passengers traveling to domestic and international destinations as part of their allowed baggage and they have to pay extra baggage fees only if it exceeds the allowed baggage limit.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/517091

30 January 2014

Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai briefed Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs, about the preparations being made in India for Haj pilgrims.

Kidwai called on Al-Sudais at his Makkah office recently to brief him on the preparations and also to offer condolences to him on demise of his father Shaikh Abdulaziz Al-Sudais.

Al-Sudais briefed the Indian envoy about the ongoing expansion projects at Haram and the commitment of the Saudi leadership to ensure that pilgrims perform rituals without any problems, a statement issued by Presidency of Two Holy Mosque Affairs said.

Al-Sudais noted that Indian pilgrims would be one of the largest groups to reap the benefits of the expansion of Haram along with other countries.
He hailed the bilateral relations between the Kingdom and India including political, economic and religious, the statement said.

“The Indian envoy briefed Al-Sudais about the preparations and orientation progammes for Haj pilgrims before they leave India to reduce congestion in Haram. He also told Al-Sudais about a short movie produced in India describing Haj rituals,” the statement noted.

The head of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs extended his cooperation to work with Indian Consulate for pilgrim service.

Kidwai was accompanied by Haj consul Mohammed Noor Rahman Shaikh and other officials. Al-Sudais presented a memento and a copy of the Holy Qur’an to Kidwai.

According to sources, Al-Sudais recalled his visit to India in 2011 when he spent three days, and his meetings with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other high-ranking officials.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/517776

Madinah, Rabi'I 28, 1435, Jan 29, 2014, SPA

The Symposium on "Poets of the Prophet (peace be upon him) at the Time of the Message" being organized by King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives was inaugurated here yesterday evening.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by the Foundation's Secretary General Dr. Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Sammari and Rector of Taibah University Dr. Adnan bin Abdullah Al-Mazrou'.

The Chairman of the Symposium's Committee Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Rabie' expressed in a speech his thanks to Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Madinah region, for patronizing this cultural event.

Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, governor of Madinah region, received in his office in the governorate today Secretary General of King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives Dr. Fahd bin Abdullah Al- Samari and guests of the seminar on the poets of the Prophet (peace be upon him) at the time of the message.

The event is organized by the foundation with the participation of a group of researchers from the Kingdom and a number of Arab countries.

During the meeting, significance of poems at the beginning of Islam was highlighted and discussed.

http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/print.php?id=1193121
http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/print.php?id=1193219